A family of six is homeless after they lost their home in a fire early this morning in Votualevu, Nadi.

The Nadi Fire Station was alerted of the house fire at 5.09 am and the fire team responded immediately. Upon arrival at the scene, the fire team found a five-bedroom corrugated iron house fully engulfed in flames.  The team quickly used one delivery of water from the fire truck to extinguish the fire.

NFA CEO Mr. Puamau Sowane said that it is so sad to see this happen, particularly during these difficult times when substantial restrictions are in place and Fiji’s economy greatly affected by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Losing your home and belongings in a fire at this time is devastating for anyone. We are already in the middle of a pandemic, many businesses closed and people jobless during the lockdown periods.  We just cannot afford to lose our homes in the process”, he said.

“We have been advising everyone not to take fire safety lightly; it is everyone’s responsibility to look after the safety of their homes and properties and prevent such disasters from happening”, he added.

“If you are home during this lockdown, check your homes and ensure to practice good fire safety measures in your home with your family.  A small carelessness can lead to great loss and it is your responsibility to identify the fire threats in your homes.

Mr. Sowane also urges all parents and guardians to supervise their children during this school holiday period and practice fire safety.

“It is important parents take the lead role in teaching their children fire safety. There have been previous cases where the lack of supervision of children has caused home fires and our advice to all parents is to look after their children and keep them safe during the holidays,” he said.

There were no injuries reported in the Nadi fire incident this morning. An investigation will be done today to determine the cause of the above fire incident.

NFA urges the public to first call on the toll-free fire emergency number 910 if they see any property on fire so that the firefighters can respond in the quickest time to save that property.

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